Kyrgyzstan: Social Media Activist Takes on Bishkek City Hall

Activist Aibek Baratov uses one of the crosswalks he painted last March outside a school on Bishkek's Bokonbaeva Street. Baratov, who has thousands of active online supporters, has amassed something of a cult following in Bishkek in recent years. (Photo: David Trilling)

Late at night, Aibek Baratov is driving around Kyrgyzstan’s poorly lit capital testing his latest project. Tired of hearing about pedestrian deaths, and frustrated with a lack of interest among Bishkek city officials to address the hazard, the activist took matters into his own hands and installed reflective signs marking crosswalks.

“This is a problem that bothers me personally, and as it turned out, it bothers a lot of other people, too,” he explained. “Every day each one of us goes to school or work and we face such rudeness on the streets.”

“When I try to cross the road, and cars almost drive over my toes, it irritates me a lot,” he added.

Baratov, 31, has thousands of active online supporters, and he has gained something of a cult following in Bishkek in recent years. It all started in 2009, when he began posting videos of traffic violations, by drivers and police, on his Facebook page.

Kyrgyzstan: Social Media Activist Takes on Bishkek City Hall

Activist Aibek Baratov uses one of the crosswalks he painted last March outside a school on Bishkek's Bokonbaeva Street. Baratov, who has thousands of active online supporters, has amassed something of a cult following in Bishkek in recent years. (Photo: David Trilling)